Thin Ice
by purplefirestarter
Summary: After being attacked by a wild vampire, Yuuki realizes that she must make a choice between Zero and Kaname. But as she dives deeper into her heart, she realizes that it will be much harder to choose than she could have imagined. Couples unknown for now
1. Attack

My first ever Vampire Knight fanfic. I was completely inspired after reading the manga/watching the anime that I _had_ to write something about it.

I'm more of a KanamexYuuki fan, so that's the pairing for this fic. If you don't like them together, then I don't really recommend reading it. Flames are a waste of time because they will be ignored. Any other kind of feedback is appreciated. I love hearing from reviewers! Just don't be too harsh. I'm new to Vampire Knight writing.

But anyway, it's basically a story I'm writing about Yuuki's choice. We all know that she has feelings for both Kaname _and_ Zero, but has yet to really choose one of them. This story is set during the time right after Zero whimps out of kissing Yuuki. In this story, Yori and Yuuki's relationship is a bit stronger, but nothing too different. Yori's just more observant about her relationship with Kaname and Zero.

I hope you all enjoy it!

* * *

"I feel like I'm being a burden to you, Yuuki."

"Oh no, Yori-chan! Not at all!"

Yuuki Cross and her best friend and roommate, Yori were out in town shopping. Yori decided that she wanted to go and find a new jacket before the winter really came. And being who she was, she asked Yuuki to come along, afraid to go out shopping alone in this time of year. And Yuuki being who she was, agreed to come along for her friend.

It was a quiet evening in the town. The sky was dimmed with silver clouds and every now and then, a gentle snowflake could be seen falling from above. Yori had commented when the first went outside that it was a very romantic setting, and Yuuki had to agree that it was.

"You seem so distracted lately, Yuuki," Yori mused as she looked in a window at a long-sleeved dress. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Yuuki started and blushed at her friend. "What are you talking about, Yori-chan? Do I really seem that troubled?"

Yori shook her head and made eye contact with the blushing girl. "Yuuki-chan… it seems that you have been avoiding contact with Kiryuu-kun much more than usual. Is there a reason for that?"

Sighing, Yuuki made shut her eyes and lifted her head to the dark sky above them. "Yori-chan…he tried to kiss me the other day…But he didn't know how to react…and neither did I for that matter. So he didn't kiss me."

Yori nodded in comprehension now. "I see now. You are embarrassed about his trying to kiss you. _That's_ why you seem to be avoiding him and not meeting his gaze whenever he walks by. I was worried that something serious had happened, actually. This is better news that I had anticipated."

"But…I don't know Yori-chan, it was so odd. Zero claimed that he had a bad dream…I don't really understand what that means. It happened so fast that I didn't even have time to realize what he was doing until he dropped his head."

Yori pulled on Yuuki's arm for them to continue walking. Her friend, after a second, followed after her along the sidewalk. "Sounds like you're confused, Yuuki. I've always had a strong feeling that you've liked Kiryuu-kun… but then again, you and Kuran-senpai also have a strange relationship."

"Strange is one way to put it," Yuuki mumbled.

"How do you feel about them? Both of them?"

Yuuki's eyes went wide and she stopped walking. Yori stopped as well and turned to look at Yuuki with questioning eyes. She was unaffected by her friend's reaction, knowing that she would be shocked to hear the inquiry.

"Zero, Kaname-senpai. I-I don't know what to say to that, Yori-chan. I mean, I've known Kaname-senpai for such a long time that having feelings for him is part of my very being. But ever since I saw Zero four years ago, I've felt a strong attachment to him as well. I care for both of them."

Yori raised her eyebrows. "But you love Kuran-senpai, am I right? And you only like Kiryuu-kun?"

Yuuki waved her hands fervently in the air. "I never said that!"

"But is that what you meant?"

"No!" Yuuki defended. "I…I believe that I love them both, in their own ways. That's a given. But it's so different, Yori-chan. My feelings for them are completely different from each other. I want them both to be happy, but I don't think that that's possible if things stay the way they are."

"A tough choice indeed," Yori noted. She pointed to a nearby store. "Do you mind if we take a quick look in here?"

"Oh no, not all at," Yuuki replied, following Yori into the store quickly to escape the cooler air outside.

It was a small store the specialized in winter clothes. Yori smiled when she realized that she had picked a good store to look in. Of course, she went off on her own right away, leaving Yuuki to ponder the shelves in silence as Yori went to the coats to try them on.

It was here that she ran her fingers over a red scarf, feeling the soft cashmere-like fabric under her touch. The color reminded her of blood, which brought her to the conversation she and Yori had just had. _Did_ she love Kaname different from Zero? Yes, she knew that much. But which did she care for _more_? It was a lot for a fifteen-year-old girl to figure out when she was utterly confused about her own heart.

While Yori tried on coat after coat, Yuuki decided that the heat in the tiny store was getting too much for her and she stepped outside for a few moments. She leaned her back against the glass window of the shop and put her hands behind her back, her head titled down. Her heart ached at the thought of one day having to choose between Kaname and Zero. Did life always have to be so difficult?

Finally, after a long while of staring, Yuuki heard the door to the shop open and Yori walked out with a bag in tow. She smiled at her friend and held up her bag. "I found one," she told her with a big grin. "And I love it."

Yuuki beamed. "That's good. You were worried about not finding one too."

"Yes. Now I won't freeze too much during the winter. It's nice to have a coat that won't fall apart on me like my last one."

"True," Yuuki laughed, pulling her own jacket closer as the wind began to pick up. The sky was even starting to get darker, casting a very eerie glow around them. Both girls looked at each other and automatically turned to go back to the academy.

"Is it me, or has it gotten colder?" Yori asked, digging through her bag for her new coat. Her body was shaking from the abrupt change in the winds. Her hair, though short, was whipping the back of her neck and she was desperate to pull a hood up to protect it.

"Oh yes," Yuuki said, pulling her arms in to keep herself warmer. The hood of her jacket was already up. Though tiny strands of her sienna hair whirled around her face still.

They walked back down the sidewalk swiftly, desperate to get back to the academy where it would be much warmer. However, atop the roofs of the buildings they passed by, someone watched the girls intently, his or her red eyes gleaming against the gray background. A laugh echoed deeply in its throat and it leapt from the building top, landing several feet behind the girls.

Yuuki blinked when she sensed that she and Yori were not alone anymore. She did not say anything to frighten her friend, but she did reach her hand under her jacket to where her Artemis Rod was attached to her leg. Yuuki lithely pulled it off and held in her hand, out of sight from anyone who saw them walking.

"Yuuki," Yori whispered. "I'm getting a really weird feeling right now… What do you think that it could be?"

The prefect shook her head. "Yori-chan," she said very, very soft, so that her friend could barely hear her. "I think that we're being followed. Don't make it seem like you know… Just keep walking for now."

"Yuuki—," Yori began but she shook her head again to silence her. Yuuki did not want Yori to know that they were being followed by a vampire. It would cause her to panic and for the vampire to attack.

The vampire in question stalked closer to the girls, inhaling the scent of them that the wind blew in his direction. His wide lips turned into a smile, exposing his row of glistening white fangs. It contrasted greatly with the gray undertones of his face, making him seem more malignant. It was almost too easy, pursing these young girls. They hadn't even gotten sense that there was someone behind them. And did they ever look tasty, especially the one that had the light brown hair. Her scent was more prominent in his mind, and saliva burned in his throat to taste her. But he must wait until he was sure that there was no one around them, he must make sure that they are not heard, as he tasted their flesh.

Yuuki sensed him clearly now, sensed that he was inching closer and closer to them as they walked. They were close to the academy now, but not close enough if he were to attack now. If they could just hold off a little tiny longer, they might be able to make a break for it. Well, at least Yori could while she distracted the vampire away from her friend.

Once the line of the academy could be seen, and the path got much thinner and darker, Yuuki leaned closer to Yori. "Yori-chan," she said. Her friend's eyes moved to look at her face. "When I touch your hand, I want you to run to the academy as fast as you possibly can. Don't look behind you, just keep on running until you get there. Then find Zero and tell him to come and find me. He'll come, don't worry. Just run, Yori."

"But Yuuki-chan," Yori whimpered. "What about you?"

"Don't worry about me, Yori. I told you that you will have to run. The person behind us won't go for you if I'm here to distract him. I'll be fine, I promise."

Yori just glared at Yuuki for a long moment, before finally nodding. Yuuki sighed and watched as the academy almost became in plain sight. Holding her breath, she reached out and lightly touched Yori's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before Yori whined and suddenly shot forward like a bat out of hell.

The vampire hissed when he saw the one girl take off in a flash. She was a quick runner he saw, but she would wear out shortly. Ignoring the sweeter smelling girl that had not run, he sped off after the retreating girl.

"NO!" Yuuki screamed as the vampire ran past her, toward Yori. "No! Leave her _alone_!" And she sprung forward, releasing her weapon, heading toward the vampire that was gaining on Yori.

Yuuki gained much more ground than she would have bargained for, but it was still not enough. The vampire sprang forward and tackled Yori to the ground, the momentum causing them to roll slightly in a mass of dust. Yuuki's heart ached as she kept her legs pumping, her weapon ready to strike the vampire. He growled as he lowered his head to Yori's neck, who was screaming in protest. A laugh resounded in his throat as he brought his lips closer to her delicate skin. The moment Yuuki reached him; his fangs had brushed the surface of Yori's skin, but did not break it.

"I said leave her ALONE!" Yuuki shrieked, stabbing the vampire with her staff. The vampire howled in disapproval and rolled off of Yori and away from Yuuki's weapon. Despite the shook that Yori was in, she gained enough strength from the look in Yuuki's eyes to stand up and shakily run toward the academy again.

"Did you not hear me the first time," Yuuki said to the vampire as he stood. This time, he did not go after Yori. He knew that his real prey was here, ready to stand and fight him.

He snickered and approached Yuuki slowly. She saw that he was not a Level E, like she had originally thought. But something about him was off; something about him seemed as though he was once human. Perhaps it was the slump when he moved, or the way his mouth panted with restraint. He may not have been a Level E yet, but he was approaching that status.

Her hands tightened on the Artemis Rod and she held it up at the vampire, ready for him to come at her. He threw his head back and laughed, his entire being shaking as he did so. Yuuki's body shook slightly from fear, but she kept her ground, knowing that she could fail Yori.

The snow was falling heavily now almost obscuring Yuuki's vision, but she kept her eyes on the vampire intently, almost squinting to see beyond the white flakes. He, however, could see her clearly as though right in front of his face. The weather would work to his advantage more than it would to the girl's.

Yuuki was unprepared when he charged at her, her body too cold and the snow too thick for her to really see him. He leapt on her and knocked her staff clean out of her hands. He leaned over her, his fangs brighter than the snow. Yuuki screamed, feeling the old memories of snow and vampires flood her body and she thrashed against the wild vampire in hopes of freeing herself. She did not care for fighting; all she wanted was to flee.

"Why do you fight me, little girl?" the vampire asked in a sickly sweet voice. "All I want is a little taste." His lips touched her neck and she screamed louder.

"NO!" she shouted. Her hands were pinned under the vampire's knees and she could not free them. She was completely hindered by the creature above her and for a long moment, she thought that she was going to die.

She was almost _positive_ that she would die when the vampire's teeth sunk into her neck. Blood spilled out her veins and into his mouth as he sucked. Her cries were completely muted by her pain now, and all she could do was lay there as he killed her.

But as he sucked, her body began to convulse from the amount of blood being taken, and the shaking turned into her thrashing again. She fought him, kicking his legs, trying desperately to free her hands. It worked eventually for he had to move in order to continue feeding and she used her hands now to claw and slash at his face to get him to stop. She could not give up now; she had promises to keep…faces to see once more. So Yuuki's fingernails found the vampire's eye and she dug in deep, feeling some kind of liquid pool around her fingers. He screeched in utter pain and moved his head away from her neck, whimpering and cussing at her.

Yuuki sat up and put her hand to her neck, feeling the warm blood that spilled freely now. But she did not stop to see what had become of the vampire, she reached for the Artemis Rod and lifted her feet off of the ground in an attempt to run back to the academy. She stumbled blindly, her world becoming fuzzy and almost black. But she kept running, not looking back to see what had become of the vampire that she had managed to free herself from. She did not want to know what had happened. All she wanted was to be safe.

'_I can't…keep running…'_ she thought, her run slowing as she neared the gates to the academy. She was so close, but her body would not move anymore. The blood from her neck ran down her hand and arm, staining her jacket sleeve. Her hair was matted with it and her eyes rolled as she stumbled another step forward.

She fell to her knees, clutching her neck with both hands now, frantic to stop the bleeding. But it did no use, it only spilled in a steady flow all over her and she became sick from the pain.

A hand reached out and grabbed her hair, pulling her head back. The vampire stood behind her, his one good eye blazing a scarlet red. The other eye was bloody and bruised from her finger. It made her smirk to see the number she had managed to do on it. But she knew that it wouldn't be enough.

"Stupid girl," he spat, bringing her back further back to expose her ruined neck. All the blood was driving his senses completely wild and he _needed_ to taste her now. It was a matter of life and death at this point.

Yuuki was done now. She could not fight him off any longer. Her body was too weak and she was in too much pain. Death was here, breathing along the wound on her neck. It pained her to know that she was breaking her promise to Yori, to Zero, to Kaname… She could not bear the thought of breaking their hearts and she closed her eyes, trying to escape the pain.

She braced herself as the vampire's teeth touched the spot on her throat once more. Here it was, the final moments of her life. And they would be spent bleeding to death in the arms of a wild vampire.

But that final piercing of his fangs never came. All that she heard was the sound of something being hit. And then she felt her head come in contact with the stone below her. She wondered why death had not come to her, why she was being prolonged this horrible pain.

The sounds that reached her ears were horrible. Ripping sounds, tearing sounds, growling and cursing was suddenly all around her. Finally, a loud bang echoed, shutting out all of the other noise. A dull thud and a sudden rush of air were the next things she heard.

And then…silence.

"Yuuki!" a voice called out. She knew that it must have been louder than it sounded. But she was drifting in and out of consciousness.

"What the hell happened!?" another voice called out, farther away. "YUUKI!"

'_Zero…'_ Yuuki thought groggily. _'Is Zero here…? Did…did he come?'_

Suddenly, the first voice was right by her ear. And then arms supported her. But they began to fade, all the sounds and sensations. But she tried to hold onto the voice that was now speaking to her.

"Yuuki! It's me! You're going to be all right! Yuuki!"

It was Zero. Zero had come to save her.

'_I hear you… I'm right here, Zero,' _she thought weakly.

"Oh Yuuki," the second voice whispered. Lightly, fingers touched her forehead and it made her heart sing in her chest. The second voice…was Kaname. Kaname had come for her too.

"K-Kan…ame…" she said very, very feebly.

"Shh," she heard Kaname say. "Don't you say anything. Just relax."

She groaned and turned over feeling Zero's arms move with her. Zero and Kaname were speaking now, but she could not hear what they were saying. She was surprised that she had been conscious this far.

"Allow me," she then heard Kaname's cool voice say. Her body then moved and a different set of arms now supported her limp frame. Kaname then stood, holding Yuuki tightly in his grasp. He looked at Zero, giving him a silent thank you before he turned and headed back to the acedemy.

Zero followed after them quickly, shoving the Bloody Rose back into his uniform. He watched as Yuuki's eyelids fluttered for a split second, trying to open to see their faces. But he reached out and touched her cheek.

"Yuuki…" he murmured. He ignored the look Kaname gave him as he said this.

The last thing Yuuki heard and felt before she drifted off into unconsciousness was the sound of Zero's voice whispering her name softly. And then all she heard and felt was blackness.

* * *

"Yuuki-chan…"

"Why wasn't there anyone with her?"

"There _was_."

"Yuuki-chan, wake up."

Three distinct voices came to Yuuki's ears as she drifted awake. The closest one, the one right by her ear, was the voice of the Chairman, her father. The other two, she heard, were Kaname and Zero; both of who were mumbled an argument.

Her eyelids peeled back to find her fathers face very close to hers, his eyes filled with concern and relief. And for once, she was more than happy to see his face greeting her. She had thought that she would never see them again.

"Daddy," she said to him. Tears filled the Chairman's eyes and he reached out to touch her face.

"Yuuki-chan, you called me Daddy," he said softly.

She realized that there was no pain. Her body did not ache anymore; her neck did not feel as though it were oozing blood. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

"Yes, I know. Kuran-kun fixed you up. You were pretty bad, Yuuki-chan. But you are going to be all right."

Yuuki blinked and turned her head to the other two men in the room. Zero stood by the doorway, his arms folded across his chest. Kaname stood behind the Chairman, his Tucson brown eyes filled with the same emotion as her adopted father.

"You're all right," she heard Kaname sigh. "Oh Yuuki." The Chairman moved out of the way and allowed Kaname to sit where he had been. He then left the two boys in the room with Yuuki. As he sat down, Kaname's smile was gentle and filled with adoration as he looked upon her. His hand touched her cheek. "I was so frightened."

"Kaname-senpai…" Yuuki murmured. "How did you find me?"

His smile turned sad. "Your friend found Zero and Zero found me. She was screaming and crying, saying that you were going to die."

"Oh Yori-chan," she said painfully, shutting her eyes. "Is she all right?"

"She was treated and her memories erased. And yes, she will be fine. You need to worry about yourself, Yuuki. You were half-dead when we came for you." She saw the sadness in Kaname's eyes as he said this.

Her eyes closed for a long moment. "Thank you. Both of you." Then she opened them. "Zero…I heard you," she whispered. He looked over at her; his lavender eyes focused on her face. "Your voice. I heard you and I held on."

Zero sighed, a faint smile gracing his lips. "Thank you, Yuuki."

"Would you like us to leave you?" Kaname asked intensely. "Would you like to rest a bit more, Yuuki?"

She shook her head. "No. Please stay. Please."

Kaname reached across the bed that she lay on and pressed his lips very softly to her forehead. "I was so worried for you, Yuuki. I thought that I was going to lose you. You have no idea how afraid I was when I saw you there. You were so bloody and weak…"

"Did Zero kill the vampire?" Yuuki asked Kaname.

"Yes. He was there faster than I was, actually. I arrived by the time that Zero had disposed of the vampire. Yori had gone to him first and told him. He had a large head start in getting to you."

She knew what Kaname was trying to say. He was trying to say that he would have been there faster if he had known before Zero. He was attempting to argue that he cared as much as Zero. And she knew this to be true.

Her hand touched his hair. "It's all right, Kaname-senpai. I'm fine, I promise. I'm going to be all right."

Suddenly, the sound of a door slamming was heard and Yuuki jumped. She looked around Kaname's head and saw that Zero had left the room. She turned back to Kaname and saw him sigh.

"Perhaps it was best for us to leave after all," he said.

"What…?" she began to ask.

"Yuuki, leave him be. He needs time."

"Why?" She looked at the closed door with a heavy heart as Kaname spoke quietly to her.

"We almost lost you, Yuuki. And the sight of your blood…it was driving Zero crazy. I saw it as he held you. I carried you back because I saw his resolve breaking. He is ashamed for those thoughts as you lay dying. He thought things that he regrets."

"Oh Zero," she breathed. Even though she was going to be fine, Zero's well being was an entirely different story.

* * *

What did you guys think? Should I continue on with it? If I don't get a lot of reviews, then I'll take the hint and not finish it. But I like the idea of it, so if you do too, let me know in a review. I like them **a lot**!!

thanks


	2. Monster

* * *

Thanks to those of you who reviewed! As you know, I have decided to go along with this story! Yay! I appreicate it to no end, really.

So here's the second chapter! It was just as easy to write as the first one, actually, so I hope that everyone enjoys it!

(I realized that I forgot a disclaimer in the first chapter) **Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight**

* * *

Against her better wishes, both Kaname and the Chairman told Yuuki that she would be better off staying in bed for a few more days. Despite the fact that she argued how she was completely healed, it was Kaname that had gotten her to relax and stay where she lay.

"We almost lost you, Yuuki," he murmured, touching her hair. "Humor us for a little while longer. None of us want to see you hurt like that again. Trust me."

That little explanation was more than enough to make her stay put for a few more days. Of course, she was still a little reluctant, but was content with the fact that Kaname and Zero were visiting her quite frequently. But Zero did not speak very much. He merely sat by her side and stared at the floor, or kept his brilliantly colored eyes shut tightly, as though he were hoping that she could not see him.

Yuuki wanted to give him some time before she questioned him about the things that circled her mind. It was tough though, seeing him suffer and knowing that she could not do anything about it. She always wanted to protect her childhood friend, and it killed her to see him so torn inside. But Kaname's words about giving him time would always ring in her head whenever she would open her mouth to ask him about it.

It was on her second day that Yori came to visit her. She meekly opened the door to the infirmary and poked her head in the room. Yuuki knew that she had had her memories erased about the attack, so she did not know what to expect from her friend.

"Yuuki?" Yori asked, looking at her friend. Her eyes were a little unsure about coming into the room. Yuuki smiled, giving Yori courage to enter.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, coming over to the edge of her bed.

"Better," she replied with a half smile. "How about you?"

"I'm fine," Yori said innocently, reaching out to take Yuuki's hand. "I'm so sorry that you got sick from coming shopping with me. I knew that it was a terrible idea bringing you along, but I didn't want to go alone."

'_I got sick. Okay, I can work with that,'_ Yuuki thought with a sigh. "I feel much, much better, Yori-chan, don't worry."

"But Yuuki!" she whined. "You have a mild case of phenomena! I wasn't allowed to see you for almost five days! This is a week since I last saw you, when we went shopping. You've been out for so long…"

'_Oh God! I was out for _five days_? That's ridiculous…I know I was hurt pretty badly though…even Kaname-senpai said that I looked horrible.'_

"I'm sorry to make you worry, Yori. I'm getting much better now. I should be out by the end of the week." She tried to ease Yori's worrying, knowing that it wasn't her fault for what happened. "On a different note, how has class been?"

Yori grinned. "Oh you should be glad to be out! The midterm exams are coming up and they've been cramming all this information on us. You're going to have a lot to catch up on, though, I'll admit. The class president is going to have a thing or two to say to you when you return."

Yuuki groaned, imaging how _that_ conversation would go. He could scream something about Ruka and then insult her intelligence and then make her do some ridiculous task to compensate for it. That was something that she would rather avoid as long as possible.

Yori reached for Yuuki's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I hear that Kuran-senpai has been by everyday to see you so far. Even when you were unconscious he was here by your side. I even heard rumors that he held your hand, trying to wake you. How sweet of him to worry…"

Yuuki blushed, making her friend smile. "How sweet indeed. How many times did Zero come and see me?"

"Kiryuu-kun came almost as often as Kuran-senpai, but still, he was with you almost every moment of the day. I heard the Chairman was getting worried about _his_ health at one point, actually."

They both laughed at that. Though Yuuki knew that the Chairman had no real reason to worry about Kaname. He _was_ immortal, after all. It surprised her how rumors and stories traveled so fast and became so absurd.

Just then, there was another knock on the door and it opened slowly. Yori was looking at Yuuki's reaction when Zero walked into the room.

"Oh," he said quietly. "Yori, you're already visiting her."

Yori stood abruptly. "I was just leaving, actually, Kiryuu-kun. You can visit with Yuuki-chan if you'd like." She looked down at Yuuki, allowing her friend to have some time with one of her admirers. It wasn't fair to Yuuki to keep her from one of the men that she loved so dearly. "I'll see you soon, Yuuki," Yori said, touching her hand.

"Bye, Yori-chan," Yuuki whispered, watching as her friend bobbed past Zero and out of the infirmary. Then she moved her eyes to Zero, who was still by the doorway.

"You can sit down, Zero," Yuuki suggested, eyeing the seat that Yori had just left not a minute ago.

Zero did not move from where he stood for a long moment, which made Yuuki begin to worry slightly, until he finally stepped forward and sat on the edge of the bed, putting his hands on his knees. His silver hair fell into his eyes and he closed them as Yuuki's scent swirled around his head.

"Zero?" Yuuki asked softly. "Are you all right?"

"I'm so sorry, Yuuki," he said in a voice so small that Yuuki wasn't sure if she heard him speak or not.

"Sorry?" she repeated. "What are you sorry about? You and Kaname-senpai saved me. There is nothing to be sorry about, Zero."

"No," he shook his head slowly back and forth. Almost like a metronome. "I'm sorry Yuuki, but I need to feed again. I'm so weak…I can barely sit in this room without keeping my control. Do…do you mind?"

Yuuki sighed and shut her eyes. She should have known that Zero would eventually come into the room and ask this. It was expected. Then why did her heart ache at the question? Why did it hurt her so much to nod her head at him? She couldn't really tell why but all she knew was that she was hoping that this wouldn't be how the day turned out.

She held her breath as she felt Zero's weight shift on the bed. She kept her eyes closed as he inched closer to her, leaning over her smaller frame. His body cast a shadow over hers, but she still kept her sight black to what he was about to do. She did not want to see his face as he leaned into her neck.

"I am so, so sorry," he breathed in her ear. And he was. He knew that it was hurting her, allowing him to drink her blood. But she knew how badly that he needed it. And for that, for her sacrifice and the pain he caused her, he hated himself.

Zero opened his lips and allowed his fangs to stretch out of his mouth. His senses were wild due to how close Yuuki's blood was to his lips. Her scent lingered on the back of his tongue, and he could almost taste it then. But it wasn't enough, just inhaling her scent wasn't enough to satisfy this want that burned inside of him. He needed more, so much more. And Yuuki was offering this, her body bent in oblation, her blood pounding behind the thin skin of her throat.

Then he allowed his fangs to sink into her flesh and he felt the hot blood pool into his mouth, searing its way down his throat. He groaned and grabbed hold of her head, pulling her neck slightly so he could get a better blood flow. It was so sweet, her blood, but yet it always held a slightly bitter taste, as if her blood knew that he wasn't supposed to be doing this. It was almost as though it was only slightly unpleasant due to the fact that Yuuki loved Kuran Kaname more than she did him.

But all of these things evaded his mind as he drank from her. He had lost most of his coherent thinking and was only concentrating on the wonderful feeling of Yuuki's blood in his body. There _was_ nothing better in the world at this moment to him.

Yuuki tried to rid herself of the feelings that stirred inside of her. She tried to tell herself that it was not the previous arms that now held her. It was Zero that now was beside her. It was Zero's arms that supported her and drank from her. He was not a monster…he was her friend. She loved him. But still, there was still fear inside of her. Fear from that night ten years ago, fear from that day only seven days ago...and fear now as Zero held her. She knew that he would sense this, her fear. He would know that he was scaring her, but that didn't mean that he would cease.

But after a few more moments, Yuuki found that she was growing weak and dizzy. Her mind was telling her that Zero was taking too much blood, more than he usually did. And this frightened her too.

"Zero…" she whispered. "Zero, please stop it."

But he did not cease. It seemed as though he did not hear her plea. And this scared Yuuki even more than anything did in world. Not being able to reach Zero.

"Zero!" she shouted, pulling on his hair. "Zero _please_ stop!" A tear formed in her cheek as she tried to pull him off of her neck. But his fangs were locked in a death grip to her skin and he was not moving. Her hands tangled in his hair and she pulled with all of her strength, hoping that he would eventually move.

"_ZERO!_" she finally screamed out, not caring who heard. "STOP IT **NOW**!"

Something must've clicked for within a second, Zero had released his hold on her and stood panting, looking into her eyes. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and her neck was stained with blood. She looked terrified beyond words.

"Yuuki…" he huffed. "Yuuki… are you all right?"

"You didn't stop Zero," she cried. "Why didn't you stop?"

He realized as he stared at her that he didn't have an answer. There was nothing that he could say right now that would ease her pain, and they both knew this. The only thing that he could do was reach out and wipe away the mess he had made on her neck, so she didn't look like she had that day a week ago…

"Yuuki," he murmured once she was clean. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say to you to make you not be sad."

She had stopped crying, but her eyes were red and her fact blotchy from the tears. It scared him to see how she had feared him in those moments. He was such a beast…a monster. And it would only keep getting worse, until one day he truly hurt her. Or worse.

Her hands absently went to her neck, where she clasped her palm around it, as though somehow protecting it. Her eyes locked with his and they became glassy again, as though she was about to cry again. It broke Zero's heart to see her in such a state. So he reached out and snaked his arms around her back, pulling her up so that her cheek was pressed against his chest. It was a matter of seconds before Yuuki's hands fisted in his shirt and she shook against him.

Zero did not say anything. He knew that his words would not soothe her, so he merely held her, allowing their closeness to make up for his mistakes. He wanted her to see that he could keep her in his arms without wanting to drink her blood supply. He wanted Yuuki to see that he was able to hold her just as Kaname could.

"Zero," Yuuki finally whined against his shirt. "I'm fine."

He pulled her at arm's length and raised his eyebrows at her. "Are you sure? I…I hurt you badly Yuuki. You can say that you're not all right. I _will_ understand."

She nodded. He pursed his lips when she reached out and touched his cheek. "I know you will understand, Zero. But really, I know how hard this is on you. And despite the scare you just gave me, there is nothing the matter with me and nothing for me to forgive."

"It's hard you as well," he argued. "Look at what I'm doing to you, Yuuki! You're such a mess!"

"I'll live. I wouldn't allow you to do this if I didn't trust you." Her hand traced the features of his face. "If I didn't care about you."

Zero's heart was pounding loudly in his ears as he listened to her words and felt her touch. He remembered before, when he had gone to kiss her. He wondered if she ever thought about that day. Because he thought about it quite frequently. What would it be like to kiss her, he pondered. Not suck her blood, but kiss her, as though she were his. The thought made his head spin and he closed his eyes to shut the desire out. Yuuki did not love him the same way she did Kaname. His kiss wouldn't be the same.

"I'm sorry Yuuki," he finally said after a long moment of silence. "I should probably get going. You need to rest…"

"Oh Zero," she murmured as he stood, leaving her hand tangling in the air. Her skin burned from where it had been touching his.

"Get some sleep," he told her before he swiftly left the room. He did not pause to look at her once more before he shut the door. He left the room as fast as he possibly could. Probably so he wouldn't be tempted again.

"Zero," Yuuki wailed, resting her face in his hands. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed into her palms. He was in such pain! And yet all she could was lie here as he suffered! Why was it so unfair? He hated himself for what he did to her, but she did not hate him for it. She _couldn't_.

She sobbed for a long while in silence; the eerie quiet of the room her only company. It haunted her and made her shrink back under the blankets and cry ever so gently into the sheets. The last thing she wanted was someone to hear her pain while Zero suffered greater than she did.

But of course, she was not alone. Yuuki was never really alone and she had yet to really realize this fact. Kaname stood outside of the room, his back to the door as he listened to her cry. He shut his eyes and brought a hand to his head. The sound of her anguish was the worst sound he had ever heard in his life and he wanted nothing more than to kill Zero Kiryuu for making her hurt in such a horrific way.

"Yuuki," he breathed sensitively. "Oh my sweet Yuuki."

He stood outside of her room for a long while, until eventually her cries subsided and he thought that she slept. It was then that he opened the door to the infirmary and stepped in.

She was not asleep; he knew this as soon as he entered the room. But she was no longer crying as she was before. The only part of her that was visible under the blankets was a tiny tuff of her sienna hair. This made him smile, remembered when she was a child and he would come and visit her. She always liked to hide under the covers.

"Yuuki?" he asked gently. "May I come in?"

The blanket moved slightly and Yuuki poked her head out. "Kaname-senpai?" Her voice was shaky and she was hiccuping a little, but she did her best to keep her composure.

"Hi," he murmured. "Are you feeling better?"

"Kaname-senpai," she sniffled.

"Would you like me to sit with you, Yuuki?" he offered. It was the only thing that he could offer her, the only thing that he could give her now.

"Yes, please." Her voice was so tiny and weak. She must have been tired.

Kaname walked over to where the chair still sat at her bedside. He sat on the chair and leaned closer to her. Yuuki smiled behind her bloodshot eyes and he reached a hand out to her, gently caressing her blotchy cheek. Even when she was sad, she was still beautiful to him.

"Do you want to talk about it, Yuuki?"

"Zero," Yuuki whispered quietly. "I don't know what to do, Kaname-senpai. I don't know what to do about him."

"I know Yuuki," he said, trying to soothe her. "It'll be all right. I promise that everything will work out sooner or later. You won't have to hurt anymore."

"But it's Zero," she argued. "It's Zero that's hurting, not me."

"I don't believe that," he said, his voice slightly harder. "Please don't think that you have to pretend for me. I know that you're in such torment over this, Yuuki. I can see in your eyes all of the tears that you have shed. And not just for Zero. They are for yourself, too."

Yuuki always knew that Kaname would see through her. He was attentive when it came to her, always. It made her happy and sad at the same time. Happy to know that he cared for her so deeply, and sad to think that her pain was upsetting him.

"I'm sorry, Kaname-senpai," she mumbled, looking down.

"Don't be sorry, Yuuki. You did nothing wrong." He pulled her chin up so he could look into her eyes. "You would like some rest." It wasn't a question. He could see the exhaustion in her face.

"But don't leave," she half-pleaded. "Stay here."

Kaname smiled sadly and ran a hand down her face, stopping at the spot on her neck where Zero had bitten her. He leaned over and placed his lips to the spot, healing it instantly. "Yes, I will stay," he said to her skin. Then he pulled his head away. "Sleep now, Yuuki. I will not go anywhere."

Yuuki shuffled under the blankets and lay down completely; her head nestled on the white pillow. She tried her best to smile at Kaname before she shut her eyes. She was asleep almost instantaneously, her breathing falling into a thick rhythm as Kaname watched. He would not leave her as she asked. He was here until she ordered him away.

* * *

Whoa! Some Zero, some Kaname. Some major heartbreak. At this point, I'm not sure who she's gonna end up with, so we'll see how it plays out.

Opinions? Questions? Comments? Concerns? Well, the only way to let me know of them is to **reveiw **haha


	3. Last Warning

Once again, a huge thank you goes out to those reviewers! Seriously, those of you, YOU TOTALLY ROCKK

So...it's like a quarter to one in the morning...ah summer vacation is a beautiful thing, isn't it? I'm on my dad's laptop in my room and it's nice to type and not have my sister singing the Jonas Brothers at the top of her lungs. haha

Anyway, hope that this chapter is another good one. I would appreciate reviews too (just a suggestion).

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight...just my own ideas**

* * *

It was bittersweet the day that Yuuki was told that she could leave the infirmary and attend class again. Of course, she was just as studious as she always was, sleeping in class and doodling all over her notebook, paying her sensei no mind whatsoever. She knew that there was no way that she was going to pass the midterms with the week that she missed. Yori hadn't been kidding when she said that it had been a tough week to miss.

The amount of work that her teacher had given her was almost enough to make her sob uncontrollably. He passed three packets to her on her first day back and Yori handed Yuuki her notebook so that she could copy her notes. When she opened the notebook, her eyes bulged at all of the words and examples were laid out before her. It was a fountain of never ending knowledge and she despised the sight of it.

"Yori-chan," she groaned when she was handed the notebook. "Why did you give me this? Now I _know _I'm not going to pass!"

"Don't say that, Yuuki," Yori said, trying to be optimistic about the whole ordeal, though she knew as well as her friend did of her fate. "You're a smart girl. You just need to study hard."

"Study hard," Yuuki scoffed. "There's no way in _hell_ that I'm going to pass, Yori. The class president is going to have my head!"

"Now, now," Yori giggled, "that's not very positive thinking."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Yuuki shut the notebook and took out a pen. Yori raised an eyebrow as Yuuki began to scribble over the cover.

"That's my notebook, Yuuki," Yori mumbled, her eyes narrowing.

"Yes, well I'm making it look nice."

"Yuuki," Yori sighed. "You _really_ should study. Why don't you get Kiryuu-kun to help you? He sure seems like he knows enough to teach you a thing or two. Especially algebra."

Yuuki thought about the last time she had seen Zero and the pen in her hand cracked slightly from the pressure she was putting on it. It angered her to think that something so tiny could cause her to be so upset. It was something that she told him he was allowed to do! It wasn't like he was doing it against her will! She wanted him to be all right; she didn't want him to lose himself in his never-ending need for blood.

"Yuuki? Er…are you all right?" Yori had seen Yuuki's fingers tighten around her pen and she suddenly became worried that she had said something that she shouldn't have.

"Yeah," Yuuki breathed. "I'm great."

"Did something happen between you and Kiryuu-kun? You don't seem like you want to ask him for any help." They both turned and looked at Zero, who was asleep on his desk area, his one hand dangling off of the edge.

Yuuki swallowed and blinked at Yori. "Yeah, you could say that something happened. But it's not something that I really want to talk about. It's something that I shouldn't be worried about, but I am despite it."

Yori nodded. "I understand." She knew that Yuuki wasn't the heart-spilling type and often kept her feelings to herself. It was nothing new to her that she did not want to tell her what happened with Zero. But knowing Yuuki, her "no big deal" was probably something that was eating her up inside.

"If you ever want to talk about, I'm always here," she whispered as their teacher gave them a death glare for talking half of the class. Then he coughed loudly and told Zero to wake up. He snapped awake and looked down at the back of Yuuki's head, which was bent low over a notebook.

'_I'm such a goddamn idiot,'_ he thought to himself. If he could just keep his control then Yuuki wouldn't be suffering like she is now! But he just couldn't help himself that day. When her blood reached his lips, all rational thinking was gone and all that mattered was drinking his fill. He didn't even hear her screams until she was yanking on his hair for dear life, sobbing loudly.

He rested his chin on his arms and stared intently at her head, wondering if there was anything that he could do to try and make up for what he had done. But as the class wore on, he realized that the only thing that he could do was to leave her alone. But leaving Yuuki alone…the pain of having to forget her and never see her gentle smile made him shy away from that option. But he knew that he was merely being selfish. It was _Yuuki_ that he worried for, not his own stupid needs. Of course, the fact that she would have to have her say in them not seeing each other again would also factor into it. She would never willingly agree to that. She would make sure that they found a way to see each other again. That may be why he cared for her so much.

"Kiryuu-kun!" their teacher suddenly shouted. "What is the slope of the problem on the board?"

Zero took one look at the problem and rolled his eyes. "One-third," he grunted before putting his head down again. There was a gentle murmur around him and then a low oath. He smiled knowing that Yuuki had been the one to curse.

She had cursed to herself when Zero mumbled the answer as though it was no big deal. She couldn't figure that problem out and she had been staring at it for the past three minutes. Yori was snickered and so was the girl behind her, but it made her angry. Math was something that never really came easily to her. She hated the frustrated feeling she got every time her teacher would write a problem and she would watch all of her classmates quickly scribble answers down. _She_ was always the one who got it wrong. No one else. And here was Zero, half-asleep and answering it like he was a hotshot!

'_Maybe I _should_ ask him for help,'_ she mused, making a face at the board. _'What could it hurt? Can't hurt my grade any more that it's already suffering, that's for sure.'_

Of course, even in her mind, her theory was terribly off. It was true that it couldn't hurt her grade…but it _could_ hurt herself. It could possibly hurt Zero. It could hurt a lot of people, them being together. But she couldn't stay away at this point. She…she loved him. There was no turning back when you loved someone. It was impossible.

So after class, Yuuki approached Zero in the hall. At first, she wasn't sure exactly what she would say to him after that day. But it was still Zero, still the person that she cared deeply for. There was nothing to be embarrassed about at all. So she huffed up all of her strength and opened her mouth.

"Zero…I have a favor to ask," she said deeply.

Zero raised an eyebrow down at her, not knowing what to expect from her. He didn't know if the question would involve vampirisms or not…

"Will you…" she bowed her head "Tutor me in math?"

"Okay…" Zero laughed nervoulsy. "Not what I was anticipating in the world of questions. But if you need it that badly, then I will tutor you. Your grades in our class are terrible."

"Thanks," Yuuki mumbled, picking her head up. "That's appreciated to no end. So you will?"

"I said I would," he replied. "So I will. Your grades will thank me."

"And me too!" she sang. She reached out and grabbed his arm, rubbing her cheek against it. "Thank you so much Zero! I can't tell you how grateful I am! You know exactly what you're doing!"

He laughed. "Can't aruge with that one." Zero made a face and gently pulled his arm back. "I'm going to need that arm eventually, Yuuki."

She blushed slightly but nodded. How she could often forget herself when she was with Zero. Sometimes he just made her so happy that she didn't care about his feelings or her own rational thinking.

"So…when do you want to get started?" Zero asked. He began walking again and Yuuki hurried after him. Yuuki looked up at him and shrugged.

"Sometime _before_ the midterms would be appreciated," she teased before she really thought about it. "Well, we have to do guardian duty tonight, we haven't told the Chairman about our study sessions like before…So what about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow then," Zero agreed. He looked over at her and saw that she looked as happy and gleeful as usual. There was no change in her demeanor that had resulted from their last encounter. It amazed him how well she was could at keeping herself in tact. If only he knew how to do such a speldid and horrific thing. Of course, he knew that Yuuki of all people shouldn't be doing something as dangerous as that. It was all going to explode in her face one of these days, and he wondered who would be there to pick up the pieces. He secretly hoped that he was.

"In that case," Yuuki began, snapping him out of his reveire. "I'll see you tonight for guardian duty, Zero." She gave him a long wave and a light poke in the side before she bounded off toward where Yori waited for her.

"So did you ask him?" Yori questioned almost impatiently, watching as Zero turned down another corridor, probably off to his room to do God knows what.

"Mhmm," Yuuki said in respone with a nod. "He said that he'd do it. We're going to start tomorrow night. The Chairman will let us off duty a few nights in order for me to get some studying done. He's always wanted to show off my good and nonexistant grades to the world."

Yori snickered. "You should try to give yourself more credit, Yuuki-chan. You could definitely get good grades if you tried harder. And maybe if you weren't a prefect. It might make it easier on you as well."

"Easier yes," Yuuki agreed, "but it wouldn't make me as happy. I like being a prefect and keeping everyone in line. It's part of what I do here."

Yori sighed. "Then you're probably going to fail at this point. The only way I can see, it's being a prefect, or your grades."

Yuuki sweatdropped. "I _really_ hope that you're wrong, Yori-chan. Just for the sake of my sanity."

It was a little later in the day when Yuuki and Zero gathered around the entrance to the Moon Dorm to block the crazy fangirls from attacking the vampires that were heading to classes. It was the same as it usually was, girls screaming and trying to fight past Yuuki toward the door. A few got past her and as usual, Zero had them in check, cowering in fear of him to the back of the group. It always made Yuuki giggle to see how intimidating Zero was toward their fellow classmates.

The doors opened and the group of vampire students stood there ready to exit. Dozens of girls let out squeals of delight, whispering amoung themselves which of them looked the best today. Most complimented Aidou as usual, with Ichijou and Kain receiving a good amount of treatment. And of course, the man that Yuuki always waited to see, Kaname. Though most of the girls tended to shy away from Kaname Kuran due to the ominious prescence he presented, being a pureblood and all, some girls still stared and pointed with wide eyes.

When he passed Yuuki, Kaname stopped and looked down at her. He saw that she looked as joyful as she usually did, her arms out to stop girls from tackling him. "Yuuki, as usual, you're doing a wonderful job. I hope that you're not straining yourself too much though, after your sickness."

"Oh no Kaname-senpai! Not at all!" Her cheeks flushed.

"Good," he said with a warm smile that was only for her. He reached out and touched her cheek softly. "I'm glad then. I trust that you'll take better care next time."

"Of course," she said, returning his smile.

Kaname's eyes moves swiftly over to where Zero stood in the foreground, his lavender eyes almost blazing with hatred as he touched Yuuki. It made Kaname feel slightly smug inside, that look on Zero's face. He deserved every ounce of pain he got after doing such terrible things to his precious Yuuki.

"Take care then, Yuuki," Kaname said, turning back to her. He was half-tempted to reach down and kiss her head, but refrained from doing so, knowing that such displays of affection would cause an uproar of both human and vampire variety.

So with one more glance in Zero's direction, Kaname and the rest of his classmates made their way toward their classes, books in tow under their arms.

Once they were gone, the girls pouted and began to clear out slowly, talking quietly about the special treatment that Kaname always gave Yuuki Cross. Some even shot her hateful glares as they passed. This made Yuuki cringe.

"You should be used to it by now," Zero mumbled as he neared her. "The way he treats you, they should be used to it too."

Yuuki bit her lip. "It still shocks them as much as it shocks me. I don't…I don't get it. What makes me so special?"

Zero looked away, not wanting to voice his opinion on that. He knew that she meant it as a retorhical question. But still, it made him think of all the reasons why Yuuki _was_ so special. It was the way that she showed her affection for people, no matter who they were. The way she sacrificed her happiness for the sake of others'. She was such a caring, genuinly happy, and thoughtful gir. Despite the fact that she had not realized this, those characteristics were extremely hard to come by, all in one person.

"Yeah," Yuuki said softly. "I didn't know either."

He blinked down at her and watched as she walked away. Did she really want him to answer that? Because in reality, he had tons of reasons as to why Kaname Kuran was in love with her, why _he_ was in love with her.

He tried not to think about it too much, but it was the center thought in his mind as the sun began to set. When Zero would close his eyes, Yuuki's sad, crestfallen face was all he saw and it made him think of all of reasons as to why he cared for her.

His images of her in his mind didn't do her any justice when he opened his eyes to see her standing there, waiting for him while they went outside for guardian duty. He could never quite get the exact shade of her sienna hair right, or the depth to her eyes correct. It was much better to just see the real thing rather than strain himself with mental pictures.

"Ready?" Yuuki asked, cocking her head to one side. "C'mon Zero! We have a job to do!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him along so that they were on time for their duty. Yuuki was always trying to keep him in check when it came to doing their prefect duties.

Once they were outside into the night, Zero went his own way away from Yuuki for fear that he would get hungry and suddenly ravage her neck in thrist. It was better to be as far from her as possible when he was feeling weaker so he didn't end up doing something that he would regret.

Yuuki frowned slightly when she saw Zero sulk away from her, but knew that he needed time to be alone. He was still reeling from the last time they had really been alone and she understood his need to stay away. Even if it hurt her to see him walk in the opposite direction from her, she knew that it was all for the best. They couldn't keep hurting each other like this. Perhaps avoiding one another _was_ the best option.

She shook her head. _'I'll be damned if I let Zero walk away from me now…'_

But she didn't do anything to stop him as he wandered away. It was best if they did their duty separately anyway; there would be more ground to cover. Yuuki ran a hand through her short hair and took off in a run around the academy grounds, farther away from Zero.

Zero was completely silent as he walked, his only company the few shining stars overhead. It wasn't much, but it was enough to make him feel unalone in the darkness. He kept the Bloody Rose close, feeling the smooth metal under his fingertips, just in case. He never really knew when he was going to need to unsheathe his weapon, but it seemed that the need was increasing.

It was then that he picked up a sound nearby. He turned quickly to face it, seeing that he was indeed not alone at all. His face hardened and he crossed his arms.

"What do you want, Kuran?"

Out from behind a nearby tree, Kaname Kuran arose out from the green darkness, his long dark brown hair covering most of his face from true sight. But something about his countenance told Zero's instincts that this was not a man to mess with right now.

"Oh I think you know what I want…Zero," Kaname murmured flatly, raising his eyes to meet Zero's. They weren't red, like he was half-expecting, but they were sinister enough to make him halt in his tracks. He looked deadly…like a vampire.

"I want to know why in all of hell you keep hurting Yuuki like this," Kaname began without introduction. "I want you to stay away from her, actually."

"Humph," Zero huffed, rolling his eyes. "Like that's a wish you're going to get."

Kaname took a few steps closer, his body making no noise whatsoever as he moved. Zero then realized that he had made a sound on purpose, to let him know of Kaname's presence.

"Oh I think that we can come up with some sort of compromise, Zero." He took another step closer.

"Oh?" Zero asked coolly, not moving from where he stood.

Kaname stopped when he was about five feet away from Zero. His eyes seems to redden as the seconds went by and his mouth turned into a snarl. Zero felt his blood run cold in fear and his instincts were telling him to flee like he was some kind of animal. But he did not move.

Suddenly, the next thing that Zero knew, Kaname was right there, his hand wrapping tightly around his throat, pressing his back to a nearby tree. His eyes shone bright crimson and his teeth shone, reflecting whatever starlight surrounded them. Zero had never seen Kaname look so vicious before.

"I could kill you right now, Kiryuu," he whispered. "But I don't. Do you know why? Because it would hurt Yuuki. You are only alive, I keep telling you, because it brings her happiness to see you. Now, I've been observing you with her lately, and you haven't been making her happy, have you?" Zero swallowed hard and reached inside of his uniform. Kaname's hand tightened and Zero flinched. "Zero, this is your last warning. I don't want to see another mark on Yuuki's neck from your disgusting teeth."

His face was so close to Zero's that he knew that blowing his head off wouldn't be the best idea, but he didn't seem to care that much. He unsheathed the Bloody Rose and pressed it into Kaname's jawline.

Kaname grinned. "You still have that? I should've guessed as much from you, Zero. I don't think that you have the guts to kill me, actually. Do you realize what that would do to Yuuki?"

Zero pressed it tigther to his neck. "Does it look like I care right now, Kuran? You don't seem to get it…Yuuki is only miserable and sad when she's around _you_…"

He really didn't get to finish too much of his thought before Kaname threw him through the tree, snapping it clean in half and his foot was pressing on his chest. Hard.

"You are worthless," Kaname spat, his mouth pressed into a hard line as he looked down at the ex-human. "I don't see why Yuuki loves you so much."

Zero pointed the gun up at him once again. "Same here."

Abruptly, Kaname threw his head back and laughed. Zero raised an eyebrow and grimaced at the sound. "Seems we have something in common, Kiryuu." He removed his foot from his chest. "Very well then…I said I wouldn't kill you and I intend to keep my word. Of course, that being said, I trust you not to kill _me_ as well."

Zero stood up quickly and kept the Bloody Rose aimed at Kaname, this time at his heart. "I'm not as noble as you are, Kuran. Believe me."

Kaname arched one thin eyebrow so that it disappeared under his long hair. "Remember my warning, Zero. I won't take it lightly, you hurting her. It pains me to see her suffering from your need for her blood."

Zero snorted and rolled his eyes as a soft gasp reached his ears. He turned swiftly to see Yuuki standing a little ways off, her jaw down and her eyes wide and glassy.

"Zero…Kaname…what is going on?" she murmured.

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OOhh man! A cliffy! hehe

What did ya think of this here chapter? Hope that you're all enjoying it so far! Really.

Thanks for everything! Send me some reviews too, I love them dearly.


	4. Let The Flames Begin

Heyy everyone! I'm back from vacation and needless to say, it was lovely. Though I'm not going to miss the _sand_. I prefer grass over rocks and dirt. But enough of **that**. I worked on this chapter and had to revise it a few times before I got it all worked out right. I hope that you all find it to your liking, because I am pretty satisified with the way it turned out.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Vampire Knight. Just my own thoughts. (Though with the world today, I can't even be sure of that one lolz)

Anyway, what the hell are you still doing here!? READ

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"Yuuki…" Zero said softly, looking at her with clearly surprised eyes. He felt as though he was rooted to the ground from the shock of seeing her. Of her seeing him pointing a gun at Kaname's chest.

She took a step closer to them. What had drawn her over here was the sound of something snapping very loudly. Seeing now the broken tree, she realized that that was the noise that had brought her here. And a good thing too, both Kaname and Zero looked absolutely lethal, staring at each other. She had always known that they disliked each other…but to resort to such measures! And when they knew that she might overhear!

"Do you want to explain to me why you're pointing a gun at Kaname-senpai, Zero?" she said, walking closer.

He frowned. "I wasn't the only one threatening lives tonight." He snuck a hateful glance Kaname's way. Yuuki didn't miss that, and turned her head to face the pureblood vampire.

"Yuuki," Kaname breathed. He grabbed hold the muzzle of Zero's gun and moved so it was pointed to the ground. It would be much safer that way. "I don't feel the need to keep things from you." Zero snorted at that and Kaname raised an eyebrow. "Zero and I were fighting, yes."

"Why?" Yuuki asked innocently. "What could you two possibly fight over?"

"I'll give you one good reason," Zero mumbled under his breath, his finger pointed at her.

"_Me_? Kaname-senpai, really, there's no need to fight over _me_!" she argued at him. "I don't want to get in the middle of you two."

"Yuuki," Kaname shook his head. "I personally don't believe that Zero and I will ever be friends." He and Zero both laughed at that. "I was angry about his treatment towards you and figured he needed my anger to be known. Though I am sorry for upsetting you."

"You shouldn't fight, not on the school grounds, anyway. It won't look right," she said, thinking of her guardian duty. "If one of the Day Class students were to see…what would they think of Zero holding a gun to Kaname-senpai's chest?"

Zero nodded and slowly slipped his gun away. "You should know that he was the one who attacked me first. Hence the broken tree." He motioned to the shattered tree behind him. "He's much more malignant than you've ever seen, Yuuki, I'd watch out."

Kaname shot him a blank look and his mouth twisted slightly. Suddenly, right before Yuuki's eyes, she watched as Kaname's hand swung out and shoved into Zero's shoulder. It sent them both flying backward into the closest tree, beside the one that they had broken earlier. He kept him pinned by one lone hand on his chest. His strength was unrivaled by any other vampire Zero had ever seen.

"I'd die before I ever laid a hand to harm, Yuuki," he growled. "Don't you tell her to fear me when you're the despicable creature that hunts her down to suck on her blood…Blood that does _not_ belong to you."

Zero sneered and raised his fist to give Kaname a punch in the gut. The vampire hissed and released him, clutching his stomach for a brief second. He heard Yuuki's scream of horror and he heard her take a step closer to try and halt their fighting.

"Yuuki, stay away," he warned. "We'll be all right."

She stopped and clutched a hand to her chest. "This is wrong!" she cried. "Stop fighting," she ordered.

While Kaname's guard was down as he spoke to Yuuki, Zero lifted himself off of the tree and tackled him to the ground. He unveiled the Bloody Rose again and held it to the hollow at the base of his throat. "Give me _one_ good reason why I shouldn't blow your head off right _now_, Kuran-_senpai_!"

"ZERO!" Yuuki screamed. He felt something small come in contact with his side and push him off of Kaname. The gun flew out of his hand and landed beside Kaname, on the opposite side that he had landed.

He looked up and saw Yuuki leaning over him, her eyes watery and her mouth turned into a frantic sneer. Her hands gripped his biceps tightly, as though trying to keep him pinned to the ground.

"Zero, this is ridiculous! You have to stop before someone gets hurt!"

"Yuuki," he sighed, turning his head away.

"What?" she asked. "_What_? Are you angry with me because I'm stopping both of you from doing something you may regret? Zero, _please_, I'm begging you as your friend to stop."

He turned to face her again and he sighed again. The sound of her begging hurt him too much, so he nodded, telling her that he would stop. He didn't know if he could open his mouth, when her neck was in such close proximity to his lips. His body began to shake from the control and he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Zero?" Yuuki asked when she noticed the change in his countenance. She reached out to touch his face but then rapidly Kaname had picked her up under her arms and set her behind him, turning to face Zero.

"Kaname-senpai!" she shouted. "Zero is…"

"Zero was about to attack you, Yuuki," he said calmly over his shoulder.

She turned and saw that when Zero finally opened his eyes, they were gleaming red and he sat up quickly, looking around for where Yuuki's scent had gone. He frowned when he saw that Kaname was protecting her. And the look in his eyes made Yuuki nearly cringe away, but it was still Zero. Level E or not, he was still her friend.

"It's all right, Yuuki," Zero huffed deeply. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Oh Zero," she whimpered, shutting her eyes.

"Let's get you back inside, Yuuki," Kaname told her. "I think you've had enough for one night."

"But what about Zero…?" She looked around Kaname's broad shoulder at the silver haired boy. He was standing now, leaning against a tree, his head in his palm. She wanted nothing more than to run over to him and throw her arms around his waist and tell him that everything was going to work out.

"He'll be all right, I promise," Kaname assured. "Please allow me to take you inside. You're still not quite back to your normal strength."

Yuuki looked up into Kaname's deep eyes. He was pleading with her, asking her to go inside so she wouldn't get harmed. And while she looked into his eyes, she realized that she couldn't refuse him. So she nodded her head and shut her eyes. She _was_ feeling a little weak from tackling Zero to the ground. Perhaps it wasn't the right time to start exerting herself.

She was about to turn to go back inside when Kaname's arms unexpectedly shot out and swept her off of her feet. Yuuki opened her mouth to protest but Kaname shook his head. "You are tired, Yuuki," he said smoothly. "At least let me make sure that you get back to the castle safely."

"I am fine, Kaname-senpai," she mumbled. _'I have enough strength to walk back to my dorm, thank you.'_

"Yes, I know," he laughed. "Just let me do this."

Yuuki did not protest further, but allowed Kaname to carry her back toward where her dorm was. Yori was probably fast asleep in her bed, safe from all the nightmarish horrors that she had to endure day after day. It made her glad though, that her best friend wasn't suffering under the same pressures that she was. It filled her with a kind of relief.

"This is getting out of control," Kaname mumbled under his breath. Yuuki wasn't quite sure if she heard him speak or not, but the look in his eyes told her that he had.

"What, Kaname-senpai?" she whispered. She didn't know why she spoke so softly, but she felt that the moment was too quiet to be spoken in regular voices.

"Everything," he sighed. "Zero…he's losing his control steadily every day. It's only a matter of time before he can't control himself around you anymore, Yuuki. It's dangerous for you to be around him, especially when you have not fully recovered."

"I can handle it," she argued with a slight frown. He was telling her that she shouldn't be around Zero anymore, and she didn't like being told what to do.

"What are you going to do, Yuuki, when Zero drinks you blood but can't stop? And there is no one around who can stop him? What if _you_ can't reach him and he ends up killing you? It's not safe…"

"But I _can't_ just allow him to dive deeper into insanity when there is something I can do about it."

"You're assistance may seem like it's helping, but it's ending up making him more dependent on you. Something can and will go wrong if you keep this up."

"You're wrong," Yuuki murmured very softly. Her comment made Kaname raise his thin eyebrows. They were almost to her dorm now; he was walking her down the hall, his arms supporting her as though she weighed no more than perhaps air.

"I don't want to fight with you, Yuuki," he said intensely as he neared her dorm door. His eyes burned into hers with such fervor that it made Yuuki blush and look away. "I just…I _need_ you to be careful. I don't want to lose you."

"Right," she nodded, finally understanding. "I'll try to be careful, Kaname-senpai. For you."

"Thank you." His voice burned with gratitude as he opened the door to her room. She wasn't quite sure how he managed to do it with his arms holding her but then again he _was_ a vampire, so she didn't question it too much.

Once inside her room, she saw that Yori was fast asleep under her blankets, her body moving in a slow rhythm as she slept. She almost sighed aloud when she saw that she was safe but halted before Kaname could say something about it. He would probably see it as anxiety.

Kaname set her down at the foot of her bed slowly, as though he was afraid that she was a porcelain doll and would shatter if handled too roughly. Not that Yuuki minded all that much. She secretly enjoyed the attention that Kaname gave her. It was just a little embarrassing sometimes.

He knelt down in front of her, keeping his gaze very, very soft. Slowly, he reached out and stroked her cheek with his fingertips, his touch light as a butterfly's wing. It still made Yuuki's heart stutter, and it made her blush, knowing that he could probably hear it.

He stared at her for a very long time, so long that Yuuki was afraid that Yori might wake and see him in their room. Night class students weren't allowed in the Day class dorms, let alone a _girl's_ dorm. She could hear the rumors flying around…

"I should be leaving now," Kaname murmured. It was more to himself than to Yuuki. It wouldn't look very good if he lingered here too long, despite his want to stay with Yuuki. He knew that leaving was the best thing to do, to allow her to sleep.

Yuuki merely nodded, looking down at the wooden floor by Kaname's feet. She wanted him to leave, only so she could wallow in the grief she felt for Zero. But yet, at the same time, having Kaname here in her room made her heart fly. Her emotions for both Kaname and Zero were tough to keep inside her heart at once.

"I'll let you sleep," he said kindly. His hand touched her cheek, holding it there for a long moment. For one wild second, Yuuki wondered if he was going to kiss her, but he smiled her smile and stood up. He gave Yori one glance before he swiftly left the room, closing the door so silently that Yuuki had to look and make sure that he had really left.

She almost didn't change for bed, but knew that Yori would wonder about that, so she slipped off her uniform and crawled into her nightdress. She felt more human with her bedclothes on, almost as though this night had not really happened. And somehow, she wished that it didn't.

Some part of her had always known that Zero and Kaname did not like each other, but she had hoped that they could be civilized around one another. Apparently she was wrong. The look in Zero's eyes when he held the gun to Kaname was one of pure, unadulterated loathing. And how cool and almost stone-like Kaname was as he stood there too…it made her shudder as she crawled under her blankets. He looked more like a vampire in that moment than she had ever seen.

It made her thoughts spin around in circles, their faces. It made her stomach sick thinking if she hadn't tackled Zero out of the way, he probably wouldn't ended up shooting Kaname in the heart, as he had more than likely planned to do. And then Kaname's strength! He had shoved Zero into the tree as though it was nothing! Zero couldn't budge from where he stood, his back rooted to the tree. It was such a difference from the gentleness that he had used while carrying her back to her room. It was such an uncanny thing, seeing Kaname both aggressive and tender.

And then…Zero's red eyes glaring at she and Kaname made her almost scream into her pillow. The pure desire that was etched there made her blood run cold. Kaname had been right, though, she knew that. If she had stayed there, pinning Zero to the ground, he would have attacked her in need of her blood. It was clear to her now. Kaname had just been trying to protect her, as he always had.

What the hell was she going to do now? On one hand…Kaname was there, his gentle dark eyes seemed forever etched into her memory. And she loved him. She loved his soft, smooth voice as he spoke to her; she loved the way her heart stuttered whenever he touched her. She knew that he had dug out a place in her heart when she was just a child.

And then there was Zero.

Ah, Zero. The past four years that she had known him…well, she had always wanted to be his friend. She wanted to protect him from any more hurt. But recently, she wanted more than just to protect him, she wanted him to care about her. And in the process of becoming his friend, she found that she was unable to stay away from him. His light colored eyes were brilliant, always looking off into the distance with such coolness, but she knew better. And she loved him, too. She loved that look in his eyes.

But she knew that things couldn't continue the way they were now. Not when she was so undecided like this. Not when she was in love with both Kaname and Zero. Something needed to change, but she didn't know how that change would come.

She closed her eyes tightly. She _didn't_ know how to change things, but she understood that she needed to keep up smiling for everyone, she needed to be happy. The heartache couldn't live on forever in her soul, and she knew that just like a storm, the clouds would clear and she would see the answer she was so desperately looking for.

It seemed to Yuuki that the sun rose much too fast. Before she knew it, Yori was shaking her awake, telling her to get up for class. She groaned and rolled over, telling Yori to go away. Her friend laughed and pulled the blankets off of her.

"No," she moaned at Yori. "Go away…"

"C'mon, sleepyhead. It's Friday. Our last review day before the midterms on Monday."

"Gah!" Yuuki gasped, sitting up instantly. "Our last review day…? How did that happen?"

Yori snickered. "Well, you _were_ unconscious for five days. You missed a lot of reviewing."

"Crap," she hissed, standing up. Her body screamed for more sleep, but she couldn't give it what it wanted. School was what she needed to do now. It may distract her from her thoughts if she could just concentrate on the subjects rather than the boy who sat behind her.

"You'll be all right, I'll help you study this weekend," Yori assured her as she got dressed. "I'll have you doing algebraic equations like it's your job."

"Good luck," Yuuki groaned as she slipped into her boots. It was nice of Yori to try and help her study, but she knew that this wasn't going to be successful. It was a lost cause, as this point. Just like trying to get Kaname and Zero to at least pretend that they liked each other.

She scowled. She needed to stop thinking about them! It wasn't important right now; she needed to worry about her grades, not stupid vampires. Grades!

"You really seem distracted, Yuuki," Yori said as she picked up all of her books. "Is there something that you're not telling me? Something about Kiryuu-kun…or perhaps Kuran-senpai…?"

"There is a lot on my mind," Yuuki whispered. "And, I'm sorry, Yori, but there are things that I just _can't_ tell you. I don't know…I don't think that you would be able to understand it."

Yori sighed. She was always up for trying to understand what was going through her best friend's mind. The girl was like an open book, always displaying her feelings right in plain view, for all to see. Of course, it was more than comprehendible that her dear friend had things that she just could not share. After all, what was life without little secrets? However, when these secrets were threatening the very welfare of those around her, Yori could _not_ just sit down and take front row to watching Yuuki's emotions eat her soul up from the inside out. That wasn't what friends were for.

"Please, Yuuki-chan," she whispered as they made to leave. "If there is something that you need to talk about…try to talk to me. I'm a good listener you know that. I just can't watch you be in so much pain."

Finally, her dark-haired friend sighed. "Oh Yori-chan. I know that. And I appreciate it. Perhaps one day soon I will be able to talk about this freely to you. Oh you don't know how much I'd like to."

Yori reached out and squeezed her hand. "It'll be all right. As long as you know that no matter what happens, you aren't alone."

Alone. The word rang in Yuuki's head. Zero was alone now. He was more alone that she would ever be. He needed her so badly…and she had promised Kaname that she would be careful around him. Life would be so much simpler if Zero and Kaname could just learn to get along. But, however, that was just her wishful thinking. It was impossible to get them to like one another, not when her love for them was unclear. She was going to have to do something about her feelings for them. Before the end.

'_Argh!'_ she thought as she walked with Yori to their class. _'I already know this! I need to stop going around in circles! But it's so difficult…oh God I don't know what I am going to do! Why must this be so _complicated_!?'_

Of course, 'complicated' was just one of the many words that would be used to describe Yuuki's situation. She just had yet to realize it.

* * *

Annnd chapter 4 comes to a close. Oh what will Yuuki do? Actually, I'm not sure. She may very well choose a path that I don't want her to. She's a little indecisive, if you can't tell. But in the end, I think she'll do the right thing. Whatever that is...

Thanks for waiting! I'll try to get chapter 5 up as soon as possible. In the meantime...reviews _may_ get me to update faster. haha ;) We'll see! I'll see you again after chapter five!


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